Thursday, December 25, 2008

Happy Holidays!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday and Happy New Year! I will be vacationing and celebrating over the next week and hope that all of you are able to do so in your own way.

Coca-Cola Santa, a complete marketing ploy, but at the same time he is so cheerful and nostalgic.

Blurb Engagement Book

Well since Christmas is almost over and we have given out two of the three books to our parents I can finally share the package I was obsessively tracking last week. It was our blurb books that we made with our engagement pictures. We gave them as gifts to our parents so that they could have copies of all the pictures but wouldn't have tons of loose pictures they didn't know what to do with.

The books turned out awesome! We decided to go with the smallest, soft cover size and they were perfect. The quality was great. We decided to go with the premium paper which was well worth it, and the color was right on. So far everyone has loved it and so do we. Here are some snapshots of how they turned out.

Front Cover

Title Page




Last Page (with a note we added)

Back Cover

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Holiday Decor

If your wedding is going to be later this winter or next holiday season in the next few days there are going to be tons of great deals. Make sure to get out there and find items that can be used in ways other than their holiday purposes. Maybe a tree topper could be a cake topper, tinsel scattered around votive candles, gift tags as escort cards, the sky is the limit. Here is a centerpiece I created, that would be perfect for a winter wedding, for less than $10 at full price and that includes the cost of the vase . So think about what you could do with items from After Christmas sales.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Ring Bowl

Previously I had posted about a white ring bowl for our ring bearer to carry down the aisle instead of a traditional ring pillow. I never bought the bowl and the etsy seller for the time being isn't carrying the bowl. Additionally the bowls have become more popular and thus more expensive and as you know by now I don't see the point in spending money on some of these things. Doing a little bit of searching around I found this one instead from etsy.com. It looks a little bit crafty but I especially like the fact that it says we do.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Panicked

I am officially panicked about bridesmaid dresses or the lack there of. Originally I had been able to be picky because we had time but now we have run out of time. This weekend I have visited another bridal store that has some options but pricey options. I also have an appointment with a seamstress the first week of January. Hopefully we can get this nailed down in the next couple weeks so it is no longer hanging over my head.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Tracking

I have been obsessively tracking a purchase for days now. I can't wait for its arrival but since it is a Christmas gift I can't post about it until Christmas. Hopefully when it arrives I will be thrilled with the outcome, keep your fingers crossed!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Trying To Keep Up

I'm not quite sure how women who choose to get married during the holidays do it. I am inundated with too much as it is and can barely find five minutes to post anything. However I am sure that most of my normal holiday obligations would disappear if I was trying to pull off a wedding.

One of the fun events that has been keeping us busy this holiday season, The Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Arrivals

This has been a week of arrivals.

First the lavender I ordered off of Bravo Bride from a woman who ordered more than she needed for her wedding arrived. Needless to say the transaction was simple and easy. I payed her through PayPal, she had the lavender shipped the next day, and in my hands just a few days later. It's exactly what I needed at a great price! I will definitely be regularly perusing this website to find other items I don't necessarily need brand spanking new or want to pay full price for.


The other arrival was the Calvin Klein dress my sister ordered as a possible bridesmaid dress. I posted about this dress a week or so ago and had high hopes for it. She came over to try it on and all I have to say is, "Hello boobs!" The front is just cut a bit too low that it would showcase any size bust big or small a bit more than what is tasteful for the church. Also while shape wasn't awful it didn't do anything either. The color was GORGEOUS but it seems it's back to the chopping block.
I am only posting a picture of the back of the dress because when I was taking pictures I caught my sister off guard so she wasn't smiling and since I didn't get her blessing to post this I don't want a phone call or email saying, "Ugh, I look awful take that picture down." This way at least you can see the color. Oh how I wish this dress had worked out!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Speaking of Jewelry

While we are on the topic of bridal jewelry I bought these earrings this weekend. Not sure yet if I will wear them with my dress but I like how sparkly they are without being too much like some chandelier earrings I have found. I went ahead and bought them because at 8 bucks they were too good to pass up and if all else fails at least I know I have these to wear.


Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Bridal Bracelet

Haute Bride makes these bracelets that are very in right now and I think one would go perfectly with my dress. Unfortunately spending a couple hundred on a bracelet just isn't an option so I am hoping to make a knock off. Luckily I have a little bit of know how for making jewelry and the tools, now I just need the pieces. If you happen to know where I can find a VERY affordable brooch like the one in the knock off below or like one on their website I would be much obliged!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Bravo Bride

For those of you who have been reading some of my posts you know that while I am thoroughly enjoying the process of planning the wedding I am also a bit of a cynic about many aspects also. Essentially I don't value everything the industry wants brides to buy into and why would I want to spend money on something that is going to be completely useless after the wedding.

That being said my friend Lucy who is also planning her wedding clued me into the website Bravo Bride where past brides can sell items that they didn't use or don't need after the wedding onto another bride who could use them. This is a great option for all those things that you really don't want to pay full price for or to get some cash back on those things you want to get out of the house once the wedding is over.

I am really excited because I just bought 2 pounds of lavender off of a previous bride. We plan on implementing a lavender toss as we exit the church. I had done previous research and found that to buy the same amount of lavender from a grower retails at about 50 bucks and once you include tax and shipping you are well past the 60 dollar point. With shipping and everything I am getting the same amount for $21.80, which is a steal! Once I get the lavender I will post a review about my experience from buying from this site.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Ornaments

I was at Bed Bath and Beyond last night and saw these in their holiday section. If you are having a winter or holiday themed wedding I thought they would be a great idea for escort cards and could double as favors!
You can find these and other holiday place card holders here.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Black and White Guestbook

We initially have been planning on using a blurb photo book with our engagement pictures as our guest book. But maybe instead we will consider using just the black and white photos secured with black photo corners in a scrapbook with black pages.


Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Project Anxiety

The stress and anxiety of taking on projects is starting to set in. Yes I know I have about 7 and a half months and I have lots of time to get things done. However when we got engaged I had 14 months and lots of ideas but put everything on the back burner for later. Well now is later because if I don't get a start on anything then it might not get done. Once we get through the holidays then I will start some of my projects. The projects I can think of off hand are: invitations, bridal jewelry, programs, seating chart or escort cards, ceremony decorations, cardbox, table numbers, satchels for the lavender toss, and possible cake topper. But who knows what else will pop up in between now and the wedding.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Cake Guestbook

This is an interesting guest book idea I saw on the knot. Make a faux cake and have people write messages to you on little slips of paper and pin them on the cake. Later you can compile all of these in a book.